Who Is Asajj Ventress?

“[George Lucas] always liked the character of Ventress,” Dave Filoni recalls. “He liked how she had been used in The Clone Wars, but we never used her a lot... George wanted to develop this idea of Ventress and who she really is, and expand her story so we really see things from the villainess’ side.”

Her journey would take her from a loyal assassin in the service of Count Dooku to a bounty hunter who makes her own rules — and unexpected allies — along the way.

Early Years

In-galaxy, Asajj was born on [Dathomir](https://www.starwars.com/databank/dathomir) into the Nightsisters clan. The Nightsisters, a coven of witches who wielded a dark magick, lived in the crimson mists of the unwelcoming planet. But not even her powerful clan could stop the Siniteen criminal Hal'Sted. They struck a deal that gave him the baby Asajj in return for their safety. She went with Hal'Sted, a surprisingly kind captor, to the planet Rattatak, where he later died in an assault by Weequay raiders.

A Jedi stranded on Rattatak named Ky Narec sensed Asajj’s connection to the Force and took her as his Padawan. He trained her as a Jedi, and for ten years the two protected the people of the planet. But when the pair were ambushed in an attack, Ky Narec lost his life, and Asajj’s future took a turn toward vengeance.

The dark side of the Force granted Count Dooku a vision of the vengeful Ventress on Rattatak, slaughtering those responsible for her Master’s death. She fell into a trap laid by the unsavory Osika Kirske, who captured her and forced her to compete in his gladiator’s pit for amusement. There, Dooku found her, slew the unsuspecting Kirske, and took Asajj to Serenno to begin her training as his assassin.

Business on Cato Neimoidia

At the onset of The Clone Wars, the Jedi Order sent Obi-Wan Kenobi on a diplomatic mission to Cato Neimoidia to investigate the cause of a devastating explosion. Dooku, with the Neimoidians’ permission, dispatched Asajj as an emissary of the Confederacy of Independent Systems with the duty of monitoring the Jedi for a “fair” analysis.

When Kenobi saw Asajj for the first time, he knew only that she had been previously identified as a leader within the Separatist army. While their initial meeting wasn’t an overly friendly one, the two exchanged pleasantries and names. However, her true purpose on the mission was soon revealed. Asajj used her intelligence and cunning to sow seeds of doubt about Kenobi, the Jedi Order, and the Republic. She didn’t miss the chance to taunt Kenobi for the first time — but certainly not the last — once she turned the Neimoidians against him.

The Clone Wars

Revealed as Dooku’s assassin and dark side apprentice, Asajj and Kenobi continued to trade barbs and cross lightsaber blades as the Clone Wars raged on. Kenobi dueled Asajj on Teth one-on-one when she attempted to retrieve Jabba the Hutt’s infant son for the Separatists. She tangled with Jedi Masters time and time again as she carried out Count Dooku’s orders on planets like Christophsis and Toydaria.

When the Separatist Nute Gunray was captured during the war, Asajj’s Master charged her to prove herself worthy of being his apprentice with a mission to rescue Gunray from Republic custody. She took on Padawan Ahsoka Tano in a duel of insults and lightsabers, and bested Jedi Master Luminara Unduli in an epic fight. Asajj succeeded in her task thanks to her shrewd planning and carefully laid traps.

While Asajj earned Dooku’s begrudging approval, she proved to be too much of a potential threat to Darth Sidious’s power. To prevent Dooku and his assassin from joining forces against him, Sidious commanded his apprentice to eliminate Asajj Ventress. The Count obeyed, but Asajj escaped, fleeing to her clan on Dathomir, where she and Mother Talzin put a new plan into motion to take revenge on Dooku.

Asajj and her fellow Nightsisters failed in their first attempt to assassinate Dooku, so they used Nightsister magick to grant dark powers to a Nightbrother named Savage Opress. Asajj sent Savage to Dooku as a double agent, but again they failed to kill her former Master. Soon, Dooku deployed his droid army on Dathomir in retaliation, and General Grievous and his forces wiped out the Nightsisters. Ever a survivor, Asajj lived.

Her Own Path

Now on her own, the Nightsister became a hunter for hire, putting her considerable intelligence and strength to work for herself. One of her first jobs was on a team of mercenaries alongside a young Boba Fett and Bossk. Later, she apprehended Ahsoka Tano, who was on the run to prove her innocence after being falsely accused of murder. Rather than turn in Ahsoka for the bounty, the two became unlikely allies; Asajj felt that they might be kindred spirits, both abandoned by those they trusted. In a surprising turn, the former assassin helped Anakin Skywalker uncover the real culprit and exonerate Ahsoka.

Asajj continued to work as a bounty hunter, and eventually her path crossed with an undercover Jedi Master named Quinlan Vos. Quinlan, on an unorthodox mission from the Jedi Council to assassinate Count Dooku, knew that he needed Asajj’s help to complete his task. The two fell in love, and Asajj began training Quinlan in the dark side of the Force to give him the power he needed to defeat Dooku.

But Quinlan fell completely to the dark side when he was captured by Dooku after their failed assassination attempt. Quinlan still intended to kill the Sith Lord but worked with him against the Republic; his new goal was to get close and find out more about his master, Darth Sidious, and ultimately assassinate him as well. Asajj reluctantly joined Quinlan at Dooku’s side.

A Choice to Be Better

Dooku taunted Asajj, telling her that while Quinlan embraced the darkness, she had only flirted with it. She realized that she had willingly left behind that life of anger and hatred, and she encouraged Quinlan to do the same. In that moment, Asajj felt the light side of the Force flow through her, erasing her pain and fear. Dooku unleashed his Force Lightning on Quinlan at the same time, and Asajj pushed him out of the way, taking the brunt of it in his place.

Asajj’s sacrifice brought Quinlan Vos back to the light side of the Force as he let go of his own hate. Quinlan didn’t finish his mission and allowed Dooku to escape. Later, Obi-Wan credited Asajj with not just saving Quinlan, but also the entire Jedi Order, from becoming the very thing they fought against.

Obi-Wan accompanied Quinlan to lay Asajj to rest in the dark waters of Dathomir. As Quinlan placed her inside the pool, a glowing green mist began to rise. The otherworldly voices of Nightsisters welcomed their sister home — and offered her the chance to return to life, but at a steep price.

Harbinger

Reborn through the Nightsister magicks, Asajj began a new life on her own terms. When the Bad Batch, a group of unusual clone troopers who were fighting to find their own place in the galaxy after Order 66, discovered one of its members might have a high M-count, Fennec Shand sent Asajj to answer their questions. Asajj easily found the fugitive troopers and agreed to test Omega for Force potential.

While Wrecker, Hunter, and Crosshair understandably had trouble trusting a former Separatist assassin, Asajj’s offer to help was genuine, and Omega asked them to give her a chance. Asajj completed the young clone’s testing and informed her brothers that she had no Force ability, but suggested that the Bad Batch leave their home on Pabu soon. She departed, resuming her journey through the galaxy.

Where will Asajj go next? Only time will tell…

See what Asajj Ventress got up to before meeting the Bad Batch in Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, now on Disney+.